The appearance of Werner Herzog in “Mistaken for Strangers” feels like a calculated nudge in the ribs. The influential German filmmaker is famous for flaunting convention in his documentaries, staging scenes and crafting storylines in a quest for what he calls “ecstatic truth,” which he defines as a greater, more insightful story existing in the ether between fact and fiction. “To acknowledge a fake as fake contributes only to the triumph of accountants,” Herzog famously wrote.

“Mistaken for Strangers” is ostensibly a behind-the-scenes tour document about indie-rock band The National, but it doesn’t partake in any genre clichés. The film skirts the hem of those elements, but can’t detach itself from the point-of-view of its maker. So it becomes about itself, and therefore, its maker. It’s quietly ingenious that way.

Director Tom Berninger is the younger brother of The National’s lead singer, Matt Berninger. Nine years separate them, and the gulf between them in personal accomplishment is even wider. Matt is a focused, successful artist, and the film shows his band achieving a new commercial height, performing for large audiences in Europe, and playing at a political rally for Barack Obama. Tom lives with their parents, is unemployed, and is invited by his brother to be the band’s roadie for a year. It’s an act of generosity on Matt’s part. Tom has no experience on the road, and is more interested in shooting film footage than fetching water bottles and towels for rock stars, much to the chagrin of the band’s tour manager. In fact, Tom doesn’t even like The National’s music, which immediately broadens the film’s audience beyond the band’s admirers.

FILM REVIEW

The opening scene of “Mistaken for Strangers” is a microcosm of its overarching themes. Matt sits for an interview, and Tom asks him inane questions, perhaps to annoy him as brothers do. Or maybe Tom sees a path through the inane to a more insightful place. “Do you have any kind of organization or plan for this film?” Matt asks, with irritation and concern. Their personality dynamic is established, and it becomes the film’s emotional hook. It also shows Tom’s shrewd eye as a director and editor. He cuts in details others would overlook; his best footage isn’t the meat of talking-head interviews or reverent sequences of grand audiences cheering the band in performance, but the seams of the film itself.

So instead of straight-ahead chats with band members covering all the tired talking points about The National, Tom uses stuff before the interviews – awkward and funny moments of him directing his subjects, or prodding them for commentary on his brother’s negative personality traits. The ragged editing is reflective of Tom, which endears us to him further. He’s crippled with insecurity, and yearns to emerge from his brother’s shadow and cast his own.

Tom’s work reveals a film not about sibling rivalry, but familial connection, and their love for each other. It’s surprising in its intimacy, with comedy and drama flowing organically from Tom’s persona. If some of it feels like fabrication, like a winking put-on, it ultimately doesn’t matter. No documentary can divorce itself from its camera angles, and here, ideas supersede commonalities of technique. Herzog only appears peripherally in “Mistaken for Strangers” – he once considered making a music video with the band, and he’s shown greeting members backstage after a show – but his influence lurks. Another accountant has been befuddled.